Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes India hold the edge going into their group-stage meeting with Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, though he stopped short of placing too much weight on reputation or past results.

India’s 7-1 record against Pakistan in the Men’s ICC T20 World Cup offers statistical comfort, but Ganguly made it clear he does not subscribe to narratives built around head-to-head numbers or the favourites tag, particularly in the shortest format.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Ganguly said T20 cricket rarely follows script. What matters, he stressed, is how a side responds across the 40 overs on the night.

In his assessment, India’s strength lies in balance. He described the side as well covered in batting and bowling, with seam and spin options complemented by sharp fielding and seasoned game awareness. Big-match exposure, he suggested, gives India a certain composure in contests of this magnitude.

That said, he underlined that the label of “stronger side” guarantees nothing once the match begins.

Ganguly reserved special praise for fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, calling him a genuine game-changer and, in his view, the leading white-ball pace bowler in the world at present. The variety in Bumrah’s bowling — from yorkers to bouncers and well-disguised slower deliveries — makes him particularly difficult to line up.

He pointed out that Bumrah’s control over his craft sets him apart. “He is the captain of his own bowling,” Ganguly remarked, suggesting that such clarity under pressure can tilt tight matches.

Attention, inevitably, will fall on the contest between Bumrah and Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan. Ganguly expects that battle to shape the early rhythm of the innings, though he cautioned against reducing the outcome to a single duel.

Pakistan’s batters as a unit, he said, must find a way to manage Bumrah’s four overs. If they negotiate that spell without significant damage, the contest could open up. If not, the task becomes considerably harder.

Both teams arrive with momentum. India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, have wins over the United States of America and Namibia. Pakistan have beaten the Netherlands and the USA in their opening two matches.

India sit atop Group A with four points and a Net Run Rate of +3.050, while Pakistan follow with four points and an NRR of +0.932. On paper, little separates them in terms of standings.

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As ever with India versus Pakistan, context and history will hover in the background. But, as Ganguly put it, the decisive moments will unfold not in the record books, but across 40 overs under the Colombo lights.